12.03.2016

One of a Baker's Dozen

When I was growing up, I knew I
was lucky to have a mom who was, in addition to being a fine cook, a terrific
baker. Cakes, cupcakes, pies, cobbles, cookies, squares, bread, biscuits - all seemed
to flow effortlessly from her oven. Much later, I learned there is no such
thing as effortless baking... or is there?

In searching for a dessert recipe
to pair with a bottle of Vin Cuit from Mas de Cadenet ("cooked wine" - a very special dessert wine), in Trets, France, just
south of Mont Saint Victoire, I decided to seek out something Provençal.

I started by looking at my friend
Susan's blog, The Modern Trobadors. I recall her sharing a story about the
traditional Treize Désserts de Noël(thirteen Christmas desserts) served in Provence during the
holiday season. The list from which to choose is much longer than thirteen,
and begins with the "four beggars" (les quatre mendiants), representing
the four mendicant monastic orders: Dominicans (raisins), Franciscans (figs), Augustinian
(hazelnuts), and Carmelites (almonds). You may recall that my Mendiant Tartwas based on the four beggars. Basically, you can make anything
using any one these four and it counts towards your thirteen.

Perusing the list beyond the four beggars, the dessert that appealed to me most was pain d'épices -
a spice and honey cake/bread. I made Julia Child's version last weekend; it was
the first and only time that Julia has disappointed me. The cake was pretty
awful, and lifting it will probably give our trash collector a hernia.

Susan once made us different dessert
from her list, Provençal croquants (also called croquets). They are a hard cookie, similar to Italian biscotti. Her recipe came from
Patricia Wells but, as usual, I thought I would look a little further for other
versions. I found a video of chef Eric Leautey making a very different and much
simpler preparation, flavored with orange blossom water, which Mark and I both love.

When watching the video, my French
comprehension surprised me, as I understood every word. I found the simplicity
of this recipe to be just what I was looking for, and it answered my question:
Is there really effortless baking? Yes - and this recipe is it. Okay, while I made it a little more complicated by blanching, peeling, and grinding my own almond flour, you can buy pre-ground almond
flour (also called almond meal) in most grocery stores.

My mother never lavished
thirteen desserts upon us at any one holiday, although she did make us incredible pies,
cakes, cobblers, and cookies to our great enjoyment. While I don't think she ever had an Italian biscotto or it's French sibling, the croquant, I do
think she would have loved to dip one of these in her morning coffee. I
personally know they are good with cocoa, and you should pop over to theProvence WineZineto see how they paired with the wine.

I wish you a peaceful and love-filled start to the holiday season, and I am ever grateful that you take the time to visit Cocoa
& Lavender.

~ David

Croquants - Croquets

8 3/4 ounces (250 grams) almonds,
blanched and peeled

8 3/4 ounces (250 grams) sugar

8 3/4 ounces (250 grams) flour,
plus extra

3 large eggs

2 teaspoons orange blossom water

2 ounces (50 grams) almonds,
blanched and peeled

1 egg yolk, mixed with 1 teaspoon
water

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).

Place the whole blanched almonds
(*) in the bowl of a food processor. (You can also use the same weight in
pre-blanched slivered almonds, or - even easier - pre-ground almond flour/meal.) Pulse the nuts
until they are uniformly cut into small pieces, then process until they have
the texture of sand. If you use pre-ground flour/meal, it already has this
consistency.

Add the sugar to the processor and
continue to pulse until very fine in texture. The sugar will help in grinding
the almonds even finer. Pour the almonds and sugar into a large mixing bowl.

Add flour and whisk to blend. Make
a well in the center and add the eggs and orange blossom water. Whisk the eggs
and orange blossom water into a paste - as you whisk, the liquids will gather some of the dry ingredients to make a thick paste.

Then, using a large wooden spoon,
continue to mix all the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Eventually,
you will need to give up the spoon and use your hands. Pour the dough out onto
a floured board and knead it to create a homogenous dough – just a minute or
two.

Flatten the dough into a long
oval. Coarsely chop the remaining 50 grams whole almonds, and sprinkle the nuts
on the dough. Fold or roll the dough to encase the nuts (it doesn't matter how
you do this!) and knead the dough a few more items to distribute the nuts.

Depending on the size of your eggs,
the dough may be a little sticky.

Pull dough into a ball, flatten, then
divide equally into six pieces. If the dough is sticky, dust each piece
liberally with flour. Then roll the pieces of dough into 6-inch (15
centimeters) long, 1 1/4-inch (4 centimeters) thick cylinders. Add more flour,
if necessary.

Line two baking sheets with
parchment and place 3 cylinders on each sheet of parchment. Flatten each
cylinder gently with the palm of your hand. You want the end view to be an
oval. Brush the tops of the cylinders with the egg yolk and water mixture.

Bake in the preheated oven for 38
minutes - they should be quite golden - and remove them to a cutting board.
While they are still warm, cut them into 3/8-inch (1 centimeter) slices and
return them to the baking sheet standing up with space between each cookie.
Place them in the oven for 5 minutes to crisp the cut sides.

Makes about 8 dozen.* Blanching almonds is easy: bring
a large pot of water to a boil, then add raw almonds and return to a boil.
Cook them for 60 seconds and drain. As soon as they are cool enough to
handle, take each almond between your fingers and squeeze; the skins will slip
right off.

You would blanch, peel, and grind your own almond flour! These look delicious. I've never used orange blossom water but it sounds right up my alley. Where do you get it? I love a good biscotti with my coffee or tea!

Well, Caroline, it isn't hard - and the only ground almonds I could easily find were either REALLY expensive, or not skinned. SO I did it myself! I get orange blossom water at Middle Eastern shops, and some gourmet shops. Someone recommended liquor stores, as it is used in a lit of cocktails!

Isn't it disappointing when a hoped for recipe fails? And with baking (unlike something like a soup) there is no saving it! Glad you found an alternative. I used to bake biscotti a lot--should get back to it!

Loved this post, David. You crack me up with that comment about the trash collector! Too funny. Your croquants look just spot on - they remind me of what we have in Corsica at my parents-in-law, except I prefer yours (shh, please don't tell them). Enjoy the festive season and especially your trip to Paris, David! Can't believe I'll miss you as we're in Corsica with the extended family this year.

Thanks, Jill - having never baked them before, I am thrilled to know they look good, and I won't say a word to your in-laws! As for the trash man - he seems okay, nut I am definitely expecting an added cost for the weight of the bag this week... :)

We are so sorry to miss you this time around - but I know you will be having a wonderful time in Corsica!

Of the 2 sisters, Mom baked more than did Zia but that still wasn't a great deal. Both did make biscotti, however, with 1 type intended for milk and the other with the adults' coffee. Each sister made a batch and then they traded half. I know these croquant would have been very much welcomed. I certainly would love them. Any baked good with almond flavoring is aces in my book. Thanks for sharing, David, and I hope you and Mark share a wonderful holiday season.